Preparing equipment for seasonal shutdown advise?

I work at a horse racing track that has a five month season in the grandstand concessions and bars as well as a 500 seat restaurant.

We have a fleet of equipment spread out over the building much of it over 15 years old. True and Victory upright fridges and freezers. Some Delfield sandwich prep coolers. Ice-O-Matics for the most part, a couple of Manitowacs for ice and Pitco friers.

Any advise on shutting down at the end of the season? When I started this past year, was surprised at how much of it was left running, most fridges with nothing in it, though there were a couple of rude furry surprises.

This is my first experience dealing with fryers, I came from a year round bar operations background. Should the fryers after cleaning and boil out be refilled with fresh oil, or can they be left dry?

Aside from energy cost is there any advantage or disadvantage to shutting down the fridge, freezers and ice machines?

Reach in coolers and freezers, if they have been tapped on the low side tend to loose refrigerant in long shutdowns. Seems that at normal operating pressures they don't have any leaks, but shut them down and the low side equals the high side and they leak at the charge fitting. Also some compressors have to start with mechanical parts that get dry and no lube setting. Have seen a recommissioning to service resulting in locked rotor. Not a problem with Tecumseh or Cope. One can help stem off this problem by using a brazed in charge fitting instead of a piercing one and use good brass seal caps on them.

Walk ins can be pumped down to the receiver to prevent this. Leave 10 lb's pressure on the low side to prevent moisture migration into the system. The reason low sides develop these small leaks are mainly from the constant expansion-contraction cycles at any mechanical joint or even tubes. The old Kysor 180 degree evaporators were the worst. The expansion valve fittings and compressor suction if improperly routed will actually dimple in under the flare nut. Never place a low side nut vertical on top. Have had to repair many that did this and the power of water freezing inside the nut is amazing.

You should use your own judgement as only you know the machines you are working on. And if you repair them so they don't break down, Unfortunately, if you fix them too well, you will be out of work.

Came back after my latest six month installment of early retirement and found that in areas that were completely shut down that several of the reach ins and built in refrigeration units had indeed lost charge. All of them R22. Glad I'm not paying those bills, but I will be pricing new equipment to show the bosses that they could have new boxes for not much more than they have paid to keep 10+ year old equipment limping along.

Amazing how corporate budgets work. They can justify emergency repairs, but can't seem to come up with the budget for new equipment capitol expense!

Other areas that were not used, but shut down, did not experience freon leaks.

Just tell them that since R22 is being phased out, they eventually will be replacing these pieces of equipment in the near future. It's going to be harder to get, more expensive, and eventually will need special licensing even to recycle. I believe by 2030 it's just going to be illegal to have (if I am reading these convoluted regulations properly). Of course, 2030 isn't exactly near, but the added expense by 2020 (only allowing reclaimed refrigerant to be used in existing R22 units) will certainly make it more burdensome. I read that the price of R22 went up 300% back in 2012, and it isn't going to get any cheaper.